Golden Beach, a southern suburb of Caloundra, lies along Pumicestone Channel, west of the northern end of Bribie Island. A recreational destination in the 1940s, Golden Beach's suburban development began in the 1960s, extending from near Caloundra Road to Lamerough Creek. Enlargement further south to Bell's Creek occurred during the early 1970s. The name was derived from an early development company, Caloundra Golden Beach Ltd.
The protected waters of Pumicestone Channel attracted boating and fishing facilities, along with family accommodation and holiday parks. A State primary school opened in 1983.
The inland area between the two creeks, low-lying and vaguely designated as Golden Beach, was developed during the 1990s as canal estates along with the Pelican Waters golf course. In the late 1990s this area was detached as a new suburb, named after the golf course. A drive-in shopping centre was added to Pelican Waters in 2001. In 2002 Golden Beach was tagged as the Sunshine Coast's latest property hot spot. Several resorts had been completed by then, including the Rendezvous on the Esplanade. The caravan park, on a choice site near the shops in Landsborough Parade, sold for over $11 million in 2005. At about the same time the last remaining undeveloped land, south-west of the primary school, was re-contoured for a canal estate.
The foreshore is well equipped with playground and recreation facilities, and the offshore sand banks host thousands of migratory terns.
Golden Beach's census populations have been:
| census date | population |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 5463 |
| 2011 | 5179 |
